Today is the 167th anniversary of Branwell Brontë's death.

Off course I know the complete story of Branwell Bronte. But today I wanted to remember the positive things.

Branwell is described as a small in stature, bushy red hair that was piled high on his head, giving him the appearance of added height, small eyes, and a large Roman-like nose, which balanced small spectacles. He is represented as a brilliant, fun and humorous young man. bjtanke

As a child, he wrote well and as much if not more than his sisters. Although his sisters were sent off to school, his father believed that he could give him a quality education and therefore kept the boy at home.

Branwell Bronte biographer Francis A. Leyland speaks favorably of the Bronte brother. He defends his artistic works and character–and he should know: his brother was a close friend and coworker of Branwell and Francis himself was friends with him. thevictoriandaily

 

The poems of Branwell published in several newspapers in his lifetime and his poetry work, albeit not read - and not available - widely, witnesses to a prodigious mind. Hartley Coleridge too praised his translation of Horace's Odes and encouraged him to follow that path. bronteblog-branwell

Here are a few lines of Branwell

 

'Think not that Life is happiness,

But deem it duty joined with care;

Implore for hope in your distress,

And for your answers, get despair;

Yet travel on, for Life's rough road

May end, at last, in rest with God!'.'

 

The complete story Gutenberg/FRANCIS A. LEYLAND

The Gaskells at Home

Join us for an intimate entertainment in celebration of the creative spirit of Elizabeth Gaskell's House past and present. elizabethgaskellhouse

Superstar Cartoonist Kate Beaton on Superheroes, Strong Female Characters, and ‘Brontëmania’

What is it about the Brontë literature that makes it so rich for mining in your comics? I don’t know. I feel a lot of comradeship with the Brontës. They’re three women writers, and I’m one of four girls. They wrote, they created themselves, and created these stories and worlds, and they had to pretend to be men in order to get their books published at first, with androgynous pen names. And they created these works of fiction that are not really romances, but because they’re women they’re taken as romances. Like, Wuthering Heights is not really a romance, but people believe that it is, partially because it’s about a relationship between a man and a woman, but also because it was written by a woman. But then you read it and you’re like, These people are terrible!
Read all: vulture/kate-beaton-interview